“This is better for me than sitting around. It feels more like normal day now I’m in the kitchen.”
“You’re a cook?” Seth asked.
“Not quite. I run a sandwich shop with my business partner, Andrea.” She pointed at him with a large spoon. “And you won’t find us boring people to death with cheese and pickle sandwiches.”
He gave her a knowing look. “One of these fancy schmancy sandwiches shops?”
“Yup. We call it The Sandwich Boutique. You can have just about any combination of ingredients imaginable.”
“The Sandwich Boutique,” Seth repeated, and laughed. “Boy, I’ve heard it all now.”
“What’s your problem?” she responded.
“No problem.” He held his hands up, faking surrender even while he sparred on. “As you so rightly pointed out, I’m not at all skilled in the realms of designer sandwiches.”
“Yeah, what would you know?” She smiled as she turned away.
Adrian liked how this felt. The atmosphere was so much more chilled than it had been.
Seth watched her preparing ingredients, then quizzed her some more, tossing a tin of tomato puree in one hand, hanging close by her as she chopped onions. “I thought you said you were a nurse.”
She swiped the tin away from his reach. “You’re a very suspicious man. I said I was a nurse, not any more.”
Seth shrugged. “It’s my job to be suspicious.”
She didn’t add to her comment. Adrian shifted in his seat, turning fully towards them. “Lucky for me you used to be a nurse, and lucky for both of us you know how to cook.”
“Keep that leg elevated, AW.” She issued the instruction then looked at him quickly when she realised she’d called him AW.
Adrian held her gaze, and smiled. She still thought of him by his net handle. That pleased him, because he still thought of her as his Laidbacklady. She returned his smile, tentatively, and then she leaned against the counter top and crossed her legs at the ankle. As she did, he could see her brushing her thighs together, what with that short skirt of hers. Her heels were high, too, and it was a damn sexy look.
This was what she’d worn to meet him, he realised.
This sexy outfit that made her look so curvy and leggy and gorgeous. He stared at the line where the skirt ended, his cock hardening, because all of a sudden all he could think about was her sliding her hand between those soft, pale thighs, and touching herself with her fingers—just like she had done when he’d asked her to all those other times.
When he looked up, she was staring at him intently, and she knew exactly what he was thinking about, he could tell. He could also tell that she was aroused. From the rapid rise and fall of her breasts inside that close fitting top to the bright, focused look in her eyes, all the clues were there. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Seth asked her a question just at that moment, and she had turned away to answer him, Adrian would have had to fight the urge to request that she walk over, nice and slow, and sit in his lap.
He could have watched her all night. So many times he’d thought about her, wondered what she’d be like, and now—because of the situation—he was getting time to sit back and learn about her, for real. She wasn’t what he’d expected, but then he hadn’t known, hadn’t dared to think about it too much. It had been a bit of fun, and he’d been half expecting her to stand him up. Perhaps that’s why he’d overlooked it. Even though he regretted her being pulled into this, there was a part of him that was glad she was here. It took a huge percentage of unpleasantness out off the situation. He’d expected her to be sexy, and she was. For minutes at a time he was able to forget that he was going to stand up and point his finger at a criminal—and that he had a crazy man with gun after him as a result—because of Lily’s presence.
Even the way she leaned across the work surfaces to reach for a chopping board was a seduction in motion, as if she would make a natural dancer. That’s what she’d wanted, to be a private dancer. The thought lingered in his mind as he watched her lean into a cupboard and lift out serving bowls.
“You okay with plenty of garlic?” she asked, a moment later.
“As long as you are.” He winked. He couldn’t help flirting with her.
“Cheeky,” she whispered, glancing at the door where Seth had disappeared off to moments before. Her expression was filled with warmth though, and when she turned back to the work surface, she glanced back over her shoulder, smiling his way. She was enjoying their connection, even if she was a bit self conscious about it around Seth. He couldn’t blame her for that.
“Am I like you imagined I would be?” She delivered the question nonchalantly, lowering her eyelids, but she wanted to know, he could tell.
He smiled. “Not at all.”
Her face fell.
“Don’t take that badly. You are everything and more than I imagined, and believe me, I had some pretty top-notch imaginings.”
Her smile had retuned, and that pleased him. “Your chat was more confident. You’re a little more cautious. A little…” He couldn’t quite find the right words.
She nodded, a thoughtful look taking up residence on her pretty face. “I know what you mean. It’s easy to be more confident online than it is in real life.